The Most Moving Speeches Ever Delivered in a Movie

An unlikely politician (Stewart) goes to Washington and mounts a 25-hour filibuster in this moving dramedy from director Frank Capra. The famous speech is a plea for integrity and compassion and also a last-ditch attempt to avoid his own expulsion from the Senate.

Masquerading as his Hitler-esque lookalike, a Jewish barber delivers one of the most iconic monologues in movie history. The speech opens with the dictator’s resignation from power and builds toward these closing lines: “Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Let us unite!”

This Technicolor adaptation of a Shakespearean drama remains faithful to the source material in its delivery of the rousing “St Crispin’s Day” speech. King Henry’s galvanizing words help unify his troops before the Battle of Agincourt, in which the English army squared off against a much larger French opponent and day.

Lawyer Henry Drummond defends the right to teach evolution in this legal drama, which drew upon the real-life Scopes “monkey trial” in Tennessee in 1925. He argues before the court that a “wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches.” At the heart of his speech is the idea that one corrupt law can lead to others and ultimately take society itself past a point of no return.

Long before Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” there came this acclaimed courtroom drama and its revealing speech by ex-Nazi judge Ernest Janning. On trial for crimes against humanity, Janning dramatically confesses to his previous knowledge of concentration camps and other heinous misdeeds. The story is inspired by actual events.

Southern Black man Tom Robinson stands falsely accused of rape in this Oscar-winning adaptation of Harper Lee’s timeless novel. Defense attorney Atticus Finch draws attention to the country’s moral values and its racial biases alike in his closing argument. “In the name of God, believe Tom Robinson” are his final words.

Interracial marriage was still illegal in 17 states when this blockbuster dramedy about that very subject rolled into theaters. With his white daughter engaged to a Black man (Sidney Poitier), Matt Drayton reaches the conclusion that no one should be denied love due to the pigmentation of their skin. At long last, everyone can finally enjoy a peaceful dinner.

Playwright Aaron Chayefsky penned the screenplay for this blistering satire of corporate media, which contains one of cinema’s most historic monologues. Trying to wake viewers from their proverbial slumber, news anchor Howard Beale famously rants on air, “I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out, and yell: ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!'”

Sally Field won an Academy Award for the role as Norma Rae Webster, a character based on real-life labor union organizer Crystal Lee Sutton in this biographical drama. Upon her release from jail for union organizing in her workplace, Norma Rae tells her children her life story and prepares them for a public smear campaign in a pointed speech.

Deadbeat John Winger joins the army on a whim and accidentally kicks off an international crisis in this screwball comedy. Leading into graduation, Winger galvanizes his fellow troops with an erratic motivational speech. Most of it was improvised, according to legend.

Struggling Boston attorney Frank Galvin sues the local Catholic archdiocese for malpractice in this harrowing courtroom drama. What seems like a guaranteed victory becomes far more uncertain as the defense team pulls out all the stops. Galvin’s closing argument takes the form of an earnest speech, which eschews traditional logic by reminding the jury that true justice is in their hearts and hands.

Coach Dale takes a rural high school basketball team all the way to the state championship in this rousing sports drama. Just before the big game, he delivers a motivational speech on the importance of the fundamentals. He concludes, “If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re gonna be winners!”

This Oscar-winning drama features a number of iconic monologues from passionate boarding school teacher John Keating. The most famous among them is a call to action that obliges each of his students to make their lives extraordinary. It anchors around the phrase “carpe diem” – Latin for “seize the day.”

Al Pacino’s outsized performance as the blind Frank Slade (for which he won his only Oscar) injects this famous drama with a slew of classic catchphrases. His finest moment comes toward the end of the film, when he defends his expelled nephew before a prep school disciplinary committee. The speech contains famous lines such as “I’m just getting warmed up” and “I’ll show you outta order!”

Morgan Freeman’s character is 40 years into a life sentence when he makes his final plea for freedom before a prison parole board. His speech examines the nature of remorse and rehabilitation and concludes on a note of self-defeat. Ironically enough, his parole is approved.

“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” exclaims Scottish rebel William Wallace as he rallies his army against the English. The speech makes up part of the film’s broader thematic exploration of what it means to live a full and meaningful life.

A year after the release of “Braveheart,” actor Bill Pullman delivered a similarly inspiring battle speech in this alien invasion blockbuster. It calls for unity across the planet and features the famous line: “We will not go quietly into the night!”

An Oscar-winning performance by Williams combined with an Oscar-winning screenplay by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck makes for one of the most moving speeches of 1990s cinema. Hoping to breach the guarded exterior of a young genius (Damon), therapist Sean Maguire draws upon the differences between educational and real-life experience. “Your move, chief,” he famously says at the end.

Playing veteran NFL coach Tony D’Amato, actor Al Pacino delivers a motivational speech on the cusp of his final game. It doubles as a moment of self-reflection for the character, who mentions his own struggles and missed opportunities. In “life or football,” every inch counts.

This blockbuster sports drama culls from a real-life story about a racially integrated high school football team. In an effort to bridge the divide, Coach Boone takes them to the site where the Battle of Gettysburg was once fought. “If we don’t come together, right now, on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed – just like they were,” he tells the team.

This harrowing Vietnam War drama brings characters of various cultural backgrounds together in a single cavalry unit. Leading the troops into battle is Lt. Col. Hal Moore, who promises to leave no man behind. “Dead or alive, we all come home together.”

“This is your time. Now go out there and take it,” says coach Herb Brooks to the 1980 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team before they square off against a formidable Russian opponent. The thrilling game that follows is based on an actual event.

This sci-fi action movie follows a mysterious character named V as he leads the revolt against a tyrannical British government. He takes over a TV broadcast during a key scene and asks viewers to join him outside the gates of Parliament. “Together,” he says, “we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever, be forgot!”

The Rocky franchise is chock full of motivational moments and monologues, including this one from the sixth installment. Speaking to his son, the aging boxer explains that we can only win in life by believing in ourselves.

When a plane crash kills 37 Marshall University football players, Coach Jack Lengyel is tasked with putting the program back together. He takes the new team to the grounds where six dead players are buried and delivers a vital speech before the big game. If the team plays “with every ounce of blood” in their body, he says, then they cannot lose, regardless of the final score.

This historical epic follows Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his outnumbered Spartans as they do battle against a massive Persian army. Their story of bravery inspires the soldier Dilios, who honors them with a speech toward the end of the film. His words double as a rally cry for the new and much larger Spartan army, which soon marches into battle.